Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a machine or plant and a method for filling bottles, cans, or the like containers, with a liquid filling material, such as a beverage, with the system comprising a plurality of filling positions, each comprising a filling element at which the corresponding container, at least during a portion of the filling process, is positioned with its filling opening in sealing position and by means of which filling element the interior space of the container is acted upon with at least one process pressure during the filling process in at least one process step. The invention also relates to a method for filling of bottles, cans, or the like containers, with a liquid filling material, such as a beverage, with the use of several filling positions, each comprising a filling element at which the corresponding container is positioned in sealing relation with its container mouth during at least a portion of the filling process and by means of which filling element the interior space of the container is impacted in at least one process step with at least one process pressure during the filling process.
Background Information
For filling of bottles, cans, or the like containers, with a liquid filling material, especially also with beverages, there are known systems or filling machines, in particular also such having a revolving or expressed differently, rotating or circulatory, construction, which comprise a plurality of filling elements at the circumference of a rotor that rotates about a vertical machine axis. The containers that are to be filled are pressed in sealing position with the container opening at these filling elements, at least in the case of a pressure filling, by means of a container carrier. The filling process comprises in known manner a plurality of process or method steps which succeed one another in timed manner; these steps include particularly also those which precede the actual filling, such as, for example, evacuation of and or washing of the interior space of the container, and the like steps.
The quality of the filling process and with this also the durability of the product, that is, of the filling material that has been filled into the container, is decisively a function of the impeccable operation of the filling elements of a filling machine.
It is the object of the invention to provide a machine or system or plant with which is possible, in a simple manner, a monitoring of the filling elements, as well as additionally providing an optimal control of the filling process.
The invention teaches that this object can be accomplished thereby that in a beverage container filling machine, system or method for filling of bottles, cans, or the like containers, with a liquid filling material, for example, a beverage, using a plurality of filling elements, during the filling process there is monitored, on an individual basis at each filling element, the pressure in the interior space of the container that is connected with this filling element and this actual pressure behavior or value is utilized for monitoring and control purposes.
The invention further teaches that this object can be accomplished by a filling machine for filling beverage containers, such as bottles, cans, or the like, with a liquid in a container filling process, said filling machine comprising: a plurality of filling positions; each filling position having a filling element to fill a corresponding container with liquid; apparatus to move empty containers to a filling element; each filling element being configured and disposed to receive a corresponding container to be filled from said apparatus to move empty containers; apparatus to remove a filled container from a filling element; apparatus to hold a container to be filled in sealing attitude at a filling element; each filling element having a portion to introduce at least one process pressure into the interior space of a corresponding container; at least one pressure sensor for each filling element; each sensor being disposed and configured to sense a pressure related to the interior of a corresponding container that is connected with the corresponding filling element; each sensor being configured to produce at least one indication representative of a sensed pressure related to the interior of a corresponding container; a controller; said controller being configured to receive from a corresponding sensor said at least one indication representative of a sensed pressure related to the interior of a corresponding container; and apparatus configured to control at least one process parameter related to filling a container in the filling machine; said controller being further configured to control said control apparatus for said at least one process parameter of said filling machine.
The invention also teaches that the foregoing object can be accomplished by a beverage filling machine for filling containers, such as bottles, cans, or the like, with a liquid in a container filling process, said filling machine comprising: apparatus to fill said containers with liquid; apparatus to move empty containers to said filling apparatus; apparatus to remove filled containers from said filling apparatus; each filling apparatus comprising at least one pressure sensor; said at least one pressure sensor being configured and disposed to sense at least one pressure condition related to the interior space of a corresponding container that is connected with said filling apparatus and said sensor being configured to pass at least one indication representative of an at least one sensed pressure condition; a controller; said controller being configured to receive said at least one indication representative of an at least one sensed pressure condition; and apparatus to control at least one process parameter related to filling a container in the filling machine; said apparatus to control at least one process parameter being configured to receive process control functions under instructions from said controller based on said at least one indication representative of an at least one sensed pressure condition related to the interior space of a corresponding container.
The invention further teaches that the object can be accomplished by a method of filling containers, such as bottles, cans, or the like containers, with a liquid filling material, in a beverage container filling machine including a plurality of filling positions, each filling position comprising a filling element, said method comprising the steps of: (a) positioning a container for filling with its mouth in sealing attitude at said filling element; (b) introducing at least one process pressure into said container at each filling element; (c) sensing at least one pressure indication representative of an at least one process pressure condition related to the interior space of a corresponding container with a sensor at each filling element; (d) passing said at least one pressure indication representative of an at least one process pressure condition related to the interior space of a corresponding container to a controller; and (e) controlling said at least one process pressure condition at least under adjustment of time with said controller.
Thus, the invention provides a machine or system in which at each filling element there is provided at least one pressure sensor which collects, during the filling process, the pressure in the interior space of the container that is connected with the filling element and the sensor delivers an electrical signal in conformity with this pressure to an electronic unit, or expressed differently, a controller, which is common to all filling elements.
The invention further teaches that this object can be accomplished by a method wherein at each filling element during the filling process the pressure in the interior space of the container that is connected with the filling element is individually collected and that electrical signals in conformity with the pressures are passed to a controller which is common to all filling elements.
In the invention there is collected data corresponding to the effective or, expressed differently, current or actual, pressure behavior (actual pressure behavior-actual value) on an individual basis at each filling element and it is individually assessed by an electronic unit or, expressed differently, by a central controller.
The invention is based on the recognition that solely on the basis of the measured pressure behavior there can be monitored the proper functioning of each filling element of a filling machine and, as applicable, an error can be recognized at an early stage, that is, already prior to the error affecting the quality of the product. Such a diagnosis is established by the constant comparison of the actual pressure behavior (actual value) with a set point value pressure behavior (set point value).
The system in accordance with the invention additionally allows to correct errors in individual method steps in such a way that the actual or, expressed differently effective, value corresponds very closely to the set point value of the corresponding method step. This correction, preferably, and in a particularly simple manner, is achieved by a corresponding change of the duration of the corresponding method step. A control or adjustment of other parameters of the process steps (for example, the pressure), which could be achieved only with great effort, is avoided.
Further features are the subject of the dependent claims.
The invention is further explained with reference to the drawing figures of an exemplary embodiment.
The above-discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is, the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, the Applicants do not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintain that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicants hereby assert that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.